


Let Me Sink Into Your Arms

by ravensnwritingdesks



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Bathtubs, F/M, Insecurity, Merman Newt, Nudity, Research gone wrong, Sharing a Bath, love and reassurance, newly married couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 21:13:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13726086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravensnwritingdesks/pseuds/ravensnwritingdesks
Summary: When Tina returned home from work, she really just wanted to have a relaxing bath and spend the weekend with her husband... but Newt's latest efforts of research into Merpeople ended in an entirely unexpected development.





	Let Me Sink Into Your Arms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KatieHavok](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieHavok/gifts), [Annjushka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annjushka/gifts).



> It's been a while and my writing is still a little rusty, but I'm taking the plunge and publish this anyway :D  
> This little something is inspired by a beautiful piece of [fanart](http://coeykuhn.tumblr.com/post/169710316942/ugh-still-thinking-about-this-beautiful-movie-3) for The Shape of Water that crossed my dash a while ago... I haven't seen the actual movie yet, but the woman in this work looks very much like Tina Goldstein, so my mind couldn't help but to come up with something.  
> Thanks to @katiehavok and @annjushkasohia for talking me into actually writing this. I hope you enjoy it!

In hindsight, he should have known that swimming up to a Merman to ask some detailed questions about his people was not a good idea. He really _should_ have, given the aggressively protective behaviour he had seen before in this species. And yet…

To Newt Scamander it had seemed the most logical way to get those last few missing pieces of information he needed to complete his research. Merpeople were sentient and very intelligent beings after all, and he spoke a passable version of Mermish to make communication a little easier. What he hadn’t anticipated, though, was the blatant hatred these particular group of Merpeople seemed to have for his kind – wizards – and the lengths they would go to fend him off… These had been so very unlike the group of Merpeople he had befriended back in his school days at Hogwarts.

His leg hurt terribly where the creature had sunk its teeth into his skin before he even had a chance cast a protective shield. In hindsight, he should of thought of that too before approaching a Merpeople colony uninvited. Tina would not be amused by his carelessness. No, not amused at all. This one hadn’t even been properly armed but if it hadn‘t been for his quick thinking to apparate back to the shore and his case, who knew what else the creature might have done to him. This bite was bad enough already… and there was nothing more he could do for now but wait for the effects to wear off again. So, wait he did.

Slowly but surely his bathwater grew cool and Newt grabbled for his wand to reheat it again. But mere seconds later, the wooden stick slipped from his wet fingers and clattered to the floor, out of sight and out of reach, adding to his bad mood. His head slumped back against the edge of the tub with dull thud. Of bloody course, it would slip from his grasp. Probably changed its allegiance too, while he was at it… Just his run of bad luck today.

The strange-sounding sigh he emitted in defeat echoed and multiplied in the small tiled room, startling him from his misery for a moment. He should probably relocate to his case soon, at least until the more repulsive effects of the Merman venom had worn of. Their still quite young marriage probably wouldn’t survive it if Tina saw him in this state... and _he_ probably wouldn’t survive it if Tina ever found out how negligent he had been today. As if hiding from that thought alone, Newt sunk a little deeper into the pleasantly warm water, letting his skin soak in the soothing wetness surrounding him.

Just a few more minutes…

 

* * *

  
For once not feeling drained of all energy after a work shift, Tina returned home from work in a happy mood. It had been a good day with two cases successfully ending in arrests and a chance to clock out early. And the prospect of having an entire weekend off to spend with her husband did not mar that positively giddy feeling either.

Shoes kicked off by the door, she made her way further into their home. A good long bath was next on her agenda, and direly needed after hours of hunting for her suspects in the more seedy parts of the city. And it seemed that she was not the only one with that particular thought in mind.

Her lips drew up in a smirk when she heard the tell-tale splashing of water sounding from the bathroom. Newt had made his way home too, then, away from some Loch or other up in Scotland for his most recent studies. And he already enjoyed some time in the bath, still unaware of her return. It took no time at all for a lovely little idea to emerge from her thoughts.

Piece by piece, Tina shed her clothing as she made her way across the hallway, for once not caring about the mess she left behind. Time was of the essence here, and those garments wouldn’t mind waiting for her. It had been a while since Newt and her had had the time and leisure to share a bath. An excellent way to start off the weekend, if ever there was one.

Quietly, she slipped into the bathroom to join her husband. The flimsy white privacy curtain was drawn around their tub for once, working perfectly with her plans to give him an little surprise. One he definitely would enjoy. Tina chuckled at her own bravado and jerked the fabric aside to reveal herself with a saucy little grin on her face…

… only to be met with a strange fish-like creature where she had expected her husband to be. A high-pitched shriek escaped her at the sight, all traces of her tough Auror persona discarded with her clothing, and she desperately scrabbled for a piece of curtain to cover herself with.

The creature, she found a few moments later, seemed just as startled as she was, staring at her with wide, unblinking eyes, frozen in shock. Slowly, Tina reached back for a nearby towel and draped it around herself before retreating back into the hallway, not taking her eyes of the creature until the door was closed between them. Newt must have brought it home with him. It wouldn’t be the first time he had done so… and knowing him, it wouldn’t be the last time either.

She bent to retrieve her wand from where she had left it outside the door, and took a deep breath to calm her still racing heart. The door was only a flimsy barrier that would not hold for long in case of a delayed attack, but it was a barrier none the less. One could never know for sure how a startled beast reacted, and when… especially those kinds of beasts she had never seen or even heard of before. Like the one in her bathtub.

"Newt," she called out, hoping the Magizoologist would hear her. If there was a creature in their bathroom, the man himself had to be around as well. “What is that thing in our tub?“

A horribly scratchy noise came from behind her, where the creature seemed to be moving wildly going by the splashes of water hitting the tiles. She braced herself for an imminent attack, raising her wand to point it at the bathroom door.

“Newt!” But no answer came, save for the wild splashing of the unknown creature. And then the door clicked and flew open, banging against the washstand in what was obviously a well aimed spell of magic.

“What…?” The beast in the tub was holding a wand now. Newt’s wand, she noticed upon second glance. In the grip of a greenish-grey water creature. That could use magic. Beast or not, all bets were off with that revelation.

“ _Expelliarmus_!” Her husband’s wand flew off into the farthest corner of the small room, clattering loudly against the tiles. The scaled thing shrunk back as she approached, wand ready and scowling. “Where is Newt? What did you do to him?!”

It began gesturing again, slapping its chest while emitting hoarse shrieks. Tina gripped her wand a little tighter, ready to stun if necessary. The ruckus stopped as abruptly as it had begun, though, and the creature’s shoulders slumped in defeat as she so obviously remained uncomprehending.

And then, it slowly turned away from her and sunk back down into the tub, upper body vanishing under water as a pair of legs emerged from the other end to dangle over the rim. Long legs, covered in glistening scales and dripping water everywhere. She paused at the strangely familiar sight and waited for the creature’s head to resurface again. And when it did, glancing anxiously at her and the wand she still pointed, she saw what had escaped her notice before.

“Newt, is that you?” He blinked at her and nodded, eyes filling with relief. They were the only part of him that had remained unchanged by whatever the man had done to himself. Tina sighed as this new revelation sank in, resulting in one simple question as she stepped closer again. “What happened?”

Greenish-grey scales covered his skin entirely, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet by the looks of it. Spiked fins crowned his head where once his hair had been, running part-way down his back. They also adorned his neck and elbows. He looked like a strange hybrid of Welsh Green and some deep sea fish… if either of those were human-shaped.

Newt made another scratchy sound in answer, followed by a series of gestures she could not follow. But a sudden realisation hit her nonetheless. “You can’t speak like this.”

He grunted in agreement, hanging his head as he gripped tightly onto the edge of the tub. Scaly Hands. Scaly Fingers. A bit of webbing connected them, but not enough to impair his grip too much… he could hold on to a wand after all. She summoned some paper and a pen from the kitchen. “How about you write your answers down, then?”

A small, thankful smile reached his lips when she held both out to him. His hands touched hers as he took them, a strange and unfamiliar feeling that nearly had her jerk back in shock. Where Newt’s human hands were calloused from his work, this new version was slick and eerily smooth. Not to mention wet.

“Okay," she stalled, trying to get her bearings back. "So, what happened? And keep it short, you can tell me the whole story when you’re back to normal again.” Her eyes narrowed as she regarded the glistening expanse of scales on his arm. “This _is_ temporary, right?”

Newt nodded slowly and finally put pen to paper while Tina perched on the edge of the tub, reading the words over his shoulder. It took a little time for him to figure out how to keep the pen from slipping in his grasp, but eventually he managed.

 _A Merman bite_ , the paper on the clipboard said. _I took an antidote, but not fast enough to avoid the effects entirely. Should last for 2-3 days._

She hummed in reply. “Back to work by Monday then, huh?”

His answering snort needed no further interpretation. _I don’t think they’ll welcome me back._

“No, probably not. What were you doing anyway, getting within biting range of a Merman?”

 _Research_.

Now it was Tina’s turn to snort, shaking her head at her ridiculous husband. “Of course it was. I hope the findings were worth the trouble.”

Newt grimaced and quickly scribbled his reply. _Never even got the chance to ask my questions. But now I can describe the effects of a Merman bite from first hand experience._

Tina chuckled. “I didn’t even know Merpeople could bite… much less what a bite would turn their victim into.”

He paused for a moment, glancing at her with an unreadable expression before responding. _It looks worse than it is._

“If you say so.” He shrugged in reply.

 _No functioning speech is annoying, but I can manage. The antidote stopped the gills from forming completely, so I can breath normally. Drying scales are a problem, though._ He handed her the clipboard and pen before she could even finish reading over his shoulder and slowly slipped back into the tub, getting his upper half fully immersed again. His skin lost the greyish colouring under water, she noticed in fascination, giving the scales a silver tinge instead.

“You gotta stay in here all weekend, don’t you?” she asked after he had resurfaced again. Ten minutes between those two dives at most, not leaving much time to go about doing anything else before his skin apparently got too dry for his liking again.

Newt nodded and took back the pen and paper. _I’ll move into my case until this is over. Just had to get into a big enough tub quickly before I dried out after apparating home. That was not pleasant._

Tina hummed in reply. She could only imagine what that had been like… a half-Merman out of water, being squeezed and pushed into too tight spaces. She shuddered.

 _I’m sorry for scaring you like that, dear,_ he continued and paused for a few moments, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. _And for ruining your weekend. I’m sure you had other… plans_.

“Nothing’s ruined yet," Tina chuckled softly. "In fact, my weekend just got a whole lot better.”

He arched a single eyebrow in question, or what would have been his eyebrow, prompting her to explain. “Your parent’s dinner party tomorrow, Newt. If this isn’t an acceptable excuse to stay home, I don’t know what is.”

Newt took his time writing out a reply. _Do I look that hideous, then?  
_

But the teasing smile on his lips didn’t reach his eyes, she noticed the moment he look back up at her. In fact, he still seemed anxious and increasingly uncomfortable. And once she actually put her mind to it, it didn’t take her long to figure out why… Tina wanted to slap herself.

“No, love.” Cautiously, she slid a hand down his arm to get a feel of her husband’s temporary new skin. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as she had thought at first… unfamiliar, but not in a bad way. Unlike herself, Newt was a very physical person, craved touch and the connection that came with it. But she hadn’t touched him once since her return from work.

Newt watched her apprehensively, tense and unmoving as she slowly explored. He was still warm to the touch, which helped immensely to drive all unpleasant thoughts of cold wet marine creatures from her mind. And the familiar landscape of scars, she noticed soon after, had remained mostly intact as well.

“The scales I could actually get used to,” she admitted with a small smile. A soft shiver ran through him as she let a handful of the lukewarm water run down his chest. “They’re interesting to feel and look at.”

Newt rolled his eyes.

“What? They are. But those spiked fins you’re sporting on your head...” She moved to gently pat them, once, twice, then shook her head and chuckled. “I prefer your usual bird’s nest of hair. I don’t think I could ever run my hands safely through these, you know?”

His face fell but Tina moved her hand to cup his cheek, tilting his head upward to face her before continuing. “Much less tug at them the way you like it. That would hurt you.”

She slowly leaned forward and touched her forehead to his. “And I don’t want you to hide away in the case, either. Please stay here, where we can both make sure you’re okay.”

Newt sight in response and with that breath the tension seemed to leave his frame as well. He nodded. Love and acceptance… when he needed them the most, she hadn’t given either. Instead, she’d shrieked in horror, jerked back from his touch and repeatedly made sure he would return to normal again. What a great wife she made.

They brushed together for a kiss when she moved instinctively, lowering her lips just as Newt tilted his head up to meet her. It didn’t feel different at all, soft and warm and wonderful. She distantly noticed the clipboard clattering to the floor when his hand came up to cover hers. A tentative touch at first, that got surer when she didn’t flinch away from him this time.

His eyes remained closed for a few moments after they parted again, a smile playing around his lips. The first real one she had seen on him since early this morning.

“Now scoot over, Mister Scamander,” she chuckled, kicking away the useless towel that had slipped and landed in a puddle at some point. “I may not be part Mermaid, but I’d still like a bath after the day I had.”

A strange clicking sound filled the air as Newt moved around, making room for her. Laughter, she realised and grinned as she stepped into the tub to join him.

Familiar arms circled her as soon as she had found a comfortable position, leaning back against his chest as silky heat gently soothed her mind and muscles and she sunk into a state a blissful relaxation.

This promised to be a perfect start into the weekend, indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are interested in getting a notification for any new story, you can subscribe to my [AO3 profile](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ravensnwritingdesks/pseuds/ravensnwritingdesks).  
> You can also follow my tumblr [@ravens-and-writings](https://ravens-and-writings.tumblr.com/) for updates, previews and other fun stuff about Newtina, Fantastic Beasts and the Potterverse in general.  
> Thanks!


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